Artificial leg.



PATENTED DEC. 19, 1905.

J. T. APGAR.

ARTIFICIAL LEG.

APPLIGATION FILED oo'r. 3,1903.

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witmeooeo (SCH/(10nd! fix jzwb PATENTED DEC. 19, 1905.

J. T. APGAR.

ARTIFICIAL LEG.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 3.1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

qwifimeaaeo (IZICMArMcI1Wy JOHN T. APGAR, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ARTIFICIAL LEG- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1905.

Application filed October 3,1903. Serial No. 175,644.

To ctZZ whont it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN T. APGAR, a citizen of the United States,residing in the borough of Manhattan, in the county, city, and State ofNew York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inArtificial Legs and other Human Members, of which the following isaspecification, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

While relating more specifically to artificial legs, my invention may beapplied also to artificial arms, hands, and feet; and the objects ofsuch invention are to furnish an artificial human member at a minimumcost of construction so made as to be of the greatest possible lightnessand yet of the greatest strength and durability and of such materialthat variations in temperature will have little or no effect thereon andin which the operation thereof when in use upon the person will beabsolutely noiseless and so like that of the natural human leg or memberas not to be detected upon ordinary and casual observation.

My invention consists in the arrangements of certain devices and parts,and in the construction of certain devices and parts, and in theconstruction, combination, and arrangementof certain devices and parts,all as hereinafter more specifically set forth in the description, andpointed out in the claims.

Said invention is fully shown and described in the followingspecification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, whereinsimilar numerals of reference designate like or equivalent partswherever found throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1 is aside view of my improved artificial leg. Fig. 2 is a view of theankle-piece and lower portion of the leg-piece separated from theankle-block and the ankle-block nearly separated from the foot-block.Fig.

scale, of the metallic rocker-plate of the ankleblock. Fig. 7 is a viewof the entire leg, taken in central vertical longitudinal section; andFig. 8 is a detailed view, in central vertical cross-section, of thealuminium and brass ankle-piece.

Referring to the drawings, the referencenumeral 1 designates theleg-piece, the exterior at least of which is usually formed of a singlepiece of rawhide shrunk into shape and having its abutting edges joinedtogether in any suitable manner, usually by a thin strip of sheet-brass(not shown) riveted thereto.

2 is the ankle-block, which is usually of wood, as is also thefoot-block 3 and the toepiece 2 1, which is hinged to the foot-block bya thin sheet or strip of resilient sheet metal, usually brass, securedto the bottom or sole of such foot-block in any desired manner, usuallyby screws, and my improved foot has the hinge-point or line of junctionbetween the foot-block and toe-piece diagonal to the centrallongitudinal axis of such foot and nearer to the heel and outer side ofthe foot than at the inner, as shown in Fig. 5. wherein a right foot isshown with the ankle-block removed and shows the cavity in which thesame rests, such ankle-block, foot-block, and toe-piece and frontportion being usually covered with thin rawhide shrunk thereon and theentire toe-piece and front portion of the foot-block being covered withtanned leather so flexible as to allow of a natural and free movement ofthe toe-piece in the act of walking, the sole of the foot being providedwith an elastic sole-pad, usually of india-rubber, 28, covered withleather 30, secured to the foot and toe blocks by tacks 32, a similarrubber heel-pad 29 with a leather covering 31 being secured to thefoot-block at the heel by tacks 33, all as shown in Fig. 7. Securedfirmly to the under side of the ankle-block 2 by means of screws, as at12 as shown in Fig. 3, is the metallic ankle-block roller-plate 9, whichis usually of any suitable hard metal, such as aluminium-bronze, and ofthe substantially semicylindrical form shown in detail in Fig. 6 and isprovided with two or more rocker-ribs 10 and 11, which when the partsare in position rest and rock upon the leather rocker-bed 20, on eachside of which are located the ankle-block springs 19, which are usuallyof elastic rubber and are inserted at the lower ends in suitable holesor sockets in the foot-block cavity, so as to bear upon the under sideof the ankle-block on either side of the ankle-block roller-plate 9,such springs 19 when the parts are in position, as shown in Fig. 7 beingunder such tension that the side motion or rock motion of the ankleblockeven under great strain will .be only equivalent to the side rock motionnatural to the human ankle.

The ankle-piece 42 is composed mostly of aluminium and is provided atthe upper end with a chamfer 56, down over which fits the lower end ofthe rawhide leg-piece 1, the two being firmly secured together at suchjoint in any suitable manner, and such ankle-piece is provided with thecentral bottom side wings, located a little to the front of the verticalcenter, between which wings is located the hollow ankle-pin 55, which isusually of brass and of the form shown, having the upper securing-fin57, through the central hole of which passes the ankle-block yoke 53,between which and the fin is interposed a shoulder piece or bushing 59,of leather or other suitable material of like qualities. Suchankle-piece 55 is usually provided with the annular ribs 49 about therelative distance from the outer end of such pin shown at 50 in Fig. 8and also with the interior securing-wings 58, which partially envelopthe securingpin 57, and with a pin piece 51, which extends from onebottom side wing 52 to the other through the central cavity of the brassankle-pin, the ankle-piece being formed by first casting the hollowbrass ankle-pin 55, then inserting the ankle-pin in a suitable mold andsupplying the same with the required quantity of molten aluminium or ofany suitably alloy thereof, whereby an ankle-piece of extreme lightness,but of great strength, will be formed, which by reason of the shrinkageof the aluminium upon the brass ankle-pin fins in cooling and of thepin-piece 51 passing through the ankle-pin is practically of one piecewhen completed.

To the bottom of the yoke 53 is secured by a swivel-pin 54 thesecuring-bolt 22, which passes down through the holes 13 and 13, formedthrough the rocker-plate 9, rocker-bed 20, and foot-block 3, and isprovided at the outer end with a securing-nut 23, which rests in asocket formed toreceive it in the hollow of the foot-block, as shown inFig. 7, the ribs 49 resting and rocking on the surfaces 21 of theankle-block and the lower part of the yoke lying in the hole betweensuch surfaces 21.

In order to prevent the softening of the rawhide at the stump-socketthrough the action of the bodily heat and moisture, I provide the samewith a stiffening or reinforcement 48, of sole-leather or any suitablematerial which will be less affected either by heat or moisture than isthe rawhide of the body, which will be but little, and that notpermanently, distorted thereby, and yet which will not have a tendencyto heat the stump of the wearer, and for this purpose I have foundsole-leather to be an excellent material, and when the same has beencemented firmly in place for additional comfort to the wearer suchleather or reinforcement 48 is usually provided with a soft or buffleather covering or lining 47, while the open slot 43 at the rear of thestump-socket is covered on the interior side with atongue 44 of softleather, having the tie-string 45, a loop of which is slipped over thestring-stud 46, as shown in Fig. 1'.

Secured upon the leg-piece 1 slightly below the top of the stump-socketis the socket-clamp 4, which is formed of resilient spring metal, suchas'spring steel or brass, and is usually of the form shown in detail inFig. 4, having the lugs 7 with the open space between them, throughwhich passes the adjusting-screw 5, through the head of which easilyslides the adjusting-lever 6, which is slightly upset at each end afterinsertion in the screw-head to prevent the same from being removed. Suchclamp is secured in place upon the leg-piece 1 by suitable screws orrivets or in any other desired manner, and the open side is of courselocated at the top of the slot 43 of the stumpsocket.

It is well known to all wearers of artificial legs that frequently, andespecially in hot weather, the stump is likely to heat and swell, so asto render the wearer uncomfortable, especially when sitting down, andwith the leg having laced stump-sockets it is impossible to loosen ortighten the lacing without great trouble and such disarrangement of theclothing as is not to be permitted within the public view. By the use ofmy socket-clamp, however, all these objections are removed, as theactuating-lever 6 may be taken hold of through the cloth of thetrouser-leg and manipulated so as to tighten or loosen the socket uponthe stump to any desired extent in an instant of time, and this, too,without any unseemly motions or exhibitions.

Formed in the walls of the leg-piece 1 below the stump-socket are theusual ventilating orifices or holes 38, and below these and secured atthe ends in the side wall, so as to be supported thereby, is the woodensupportingpin 37, which supports at the center the cordpin 36, which,like the pin 37, is usually of wood and is supported at the ends in theleg wall, leather flaps 40 being cemented down or otherwise secured inposition over the hole 39, through which the pin 36 is inserted.

The cord-pin 36 passes on the forward side of the pin 37 through theleather-covered supporting-loop 35 of the ankle-block cord 34, which isfirmly secured at the lower end in the forward upper extension of theangleblock 2, as shown in Fig. 7, and on the rear side of such pinthrough the upper and supporting loop 17 of my new and improved form ofheel-cord 16,which passes down through the hole 14, formed in andthrough the rear end of the ankle-block 2, and through the lower loop I18 of this heel-cord passes the heel-pin 15, which passes from side toside through the heel of the foot-block 3 and is usually held in placeby the rawhide covering of such foot-block,

or the same may be secured against accidental misplacement in any otherdesired manner.

When in position the cords 34 and 16 are of course under considerabletension, and my improved heel-cord, like the loop 35 of the ankle-blockcord 34:, is provided at both end loops and body with a suitablecovering of any suitable flexible material,usually buff-leather. Suchheel-cord 16 consists of a plurality of rope-strands, usually three innumber, each of which rope-strands is composed of a single cord, the twoends of which have been knotted or otherwise firmly secured together,looped, and twisted at the center, so as to form a ropestrand with aloop at each end composed of a considerable number of cord-strands, suchcordstrand being usually twenty in number. After being so formed thethree rope-strands are laid together at the central twisted bodyportion, so as to form thereat a three-stranded laid rope, and thethree-strand loops at each end are placed together, so as to form asingle large loop 17 and 18 at each end, and the main body or laid ropecentral portion, as well as such end loops, are then coveredwith'buffleather or some material which possesses similar qualities,which covering is secured in position by sewing the edges together or inany other desired manner.

The cord-strands out of which the heel-cord 16 is composed are of anysuitable material having great tensile strength and flexibility, and forthis purpose I have found stout paper or fiaxen or linen cords of tighttwist to be excellent materials, and the cord 34: may also be of likematerial. I have found by actual experience and use thereof that aheel-cord made as described is of great durability and especially whenmade of paper cord and is not affected appreciably by atmospheric orthermal changes and will without appreciable stretching retain itselasticity through a long period of actual use.

Some of the parts described may be used with equal advantage in arms aswell as in legs such, for instance, as my improved form of artificialtension-cord, shown herein as a heel-cord, also the sole-leatherstump-socket reinforcement, socket-clamp,and the joint or ankle pieceformed of a light metal and a heavier metal, which latter with butslight modifications of shape may be used with advantage in knee-jointsor in the elbow and wrist joints of arms.

Having now particularly shown and described my said invention, what Iclaim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A securing-clamp for artificial human members formed of resilientspring metal adapted to be secured around the stum p-socket of suchmember and to contract the stumpsocket by the rotation of a screw-boltpassing through wings thereof at the ends of the band withoutwardly-extending abutting ends thereof forming such clamp.

2. An ankle-piece for artificial legs comprising a heavy metal hollowsecuring-pin secured to anankle-piece or sleeve proper of lighter metalcast upon the pin so that a core of the soft metal merging at the endsin the walls of the sleeves lies in the hollow of the securingpin, a finof the heavy metal having a hole to receive the securing-yoke beingformed integral with the hollow securing-pin, the edges of which fin aresecured in interior wings of the sleeve cast around same.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention 1 have signed myname, in the presence of the subscribing witnesses,this 19th day ofSeptember, 1903.

JOHN T. APGAR.

Witnesses:

EDWARD W. SEARING, DAVID HOAG.

